The poor correlation between structural abnormalities of osteoarthritis (OA) and OA pain complicates treatment and pain management. Acidosis is heavily implicated in pain, and thus may be used to identify areas of pain not associated with structural damage. In this study, we used a pH-sensitive imaging method known as chemical exchange saturation transfer (acidoCEST) MRI to assess acidosis in cadaveric cartilage tissue and assess the relationship between pH and osteochondral vascularity as determined on histology. We show that acidoCEST MRI can measure extracellular pH (pHe) in cartilage, enabling further studies into the complex relationship between acidification, osteochondral channels, and pain.
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